Love Stories: Submission Guidelines

Love is space and time measured by the heart, wrote Proust in Remembrance of Things Past. What space and time did your heart measure? Where exactly did you fall in love? In a big city? Or a small town? Did it happen when you were on the road or when you were flying? Or was it during train/Metro travel or a bus ride? Across what geographical or topographical landscape did your love story unfold? Besides, what was the specific place where it happened? Did the sparks fly on your college campus or at a cafe, a restaurant or a bar? Was it at a party, a workplace, a park or in a subway? Did it happen during a visit to a gallery, an art centre, a theatre or a bookstore? Did you fall in love in your neighbourhood or on an adventure trip to the hills or during beach vacations? What memories of places are imprinted on your mind along with the memories of your love?

For our February issue, we invite personal essays (creative non-fiction) that tell us how your heart measured the arcs of spaces — countries, cities, towns or villages — and the specifities of places where you fell head over heels for that special someone. 

The essays can be up to 3,000 words. The deadline is February 12, 2022. 

All entries must be sent in word document with double spaces to [email protected], with “Love Stories” in the subject line. They must be accompanied by a brief bio and a high-resolution (at least 1 MB) profile photo of the author. You can also share photos relevant to your story if you wish.  

The submission fee for each entry is $20 (Rs 1500). If you are in India, you can pay the submission fee here. /If you are based anywhere else in the world, you can pay the submission fee here.  

Alternatively, you can transfer the fee online to Punch Art & Culture Foundation, Account No: 919010036898613, Axis Bank, IFSC Code; UTIB0000715.

For this issue, we will not consider previously published work, either in print or online.

We are looking forward to reading your love stories.